Gas-fired furnace element



Sept. 28, 1965 R. s. sHEEHAN GAS-FIRED FURNAGE ELEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21, 1963 INVENTOR. RICHARD S. SHEEHA N ATTORNEY Sept- 28, 1965 R. s. sHr-:E'HAN 3,208,504

GAS-FIRED FURNACE ELEMENT Filed June 21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l l v l A 'v /5 INVENTOR. /2

1:19- 11 RICHARD S. SHEEHAN BY Myx ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,208,504 GAS-FIRED FURNACE ELEMENT Richard S. Sheehan, 1672 S. Elizabeth St., Denver, Colo. Filed June 21, 1963, Ser. No. 289,536 10 Claims. (Cl. 158-104) This invention relates to gas-fired furnaces such as used in smelters, cement plant, aggregate sintering plants, tunnel kilns, etc., and more particularly to elements for building gas-fired walls for such furnaces for any desired use.

The principal object of the invention is to provide preformed units of refractory material which can be quickly and easily assembled to provide a complete ready-to-use furnace of any desired shape and size completely equipped with burners positioned at all desired points and with integral fuel conduits for feeding the fuel to the burners.

Another object of the invention is to provide burner units of refractory material which can be assembled in any desired wall arrangement; which will position the re zone at the most efficient point relative to the work being done; which will provide uniform heating over the entire area of the assembled burners; which will space the lire zone away from the burner elements to avoid burnouts; which will result in complete combustion without waste; and which, when assembled, will unitarily form the necessary conduits for conveying the fuel gas to the burner orices.

A further object is to provide refractory spacer elements for the above burner units for spacing the latter in a furnace wall which will form dellectors for directing and spreading the incoming fuel gases to the llames and which can be used to assemble the burner units into any desired shape, size or type of fire box, kiln, or furnace.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

The principal furnace building elements of this invention comprise: a burner unit 12; an arch spacer unit 13; a terminal unit 14 and a straight wall spacer unit 15.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a face view of the burner face of the burner unit;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the burner unit of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the burner unit partially broken away to show internal structure;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the arch spacer unit;

FIG. 5 is a similar end View of the terminal unit;

FIG. 6 is a similar end view of the straight, Wall spacer unit;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are side and end views respectively, of a refractory nipple employed for interconnecting and aligning a plurality of the burner units of FIG. l;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic end view showing how the units of FIGS. l, 4 and 5 can be assembled to form a furnace arch or tunnel kiln;

FIG. l() is a similar diagrammatic end view showing how the units of FIGS. l, 5 and 6 can be assembled to form a rectangular pit or lire box such as for heating a muille chamber or the like; and

FIG. l1 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view showing the action of the flame in a furnace assembled from units of this invention.

All of the units are of equal length and all are pre-cast or pre-molded and preformed from suitable fire-clay or similar refractory, heat resisting material and all are Patented Sept. 28, 1965 provided with imbedded, protruding anchor bolts 16 for mounting them on and securing them to any suitable supporting frame structure (not shown).

The burner unit is molded in the form of a rectangular block having two ends 17, two sides 18, and a flat back 19. The front of the block is molded to form two side edge portions 20 lying in a common plane, there being one edge portion along, and extending inwardly from, each of the sides 18.

An elongated, longitudinally-extending, gas groove 21 is indented in each side edge portion 20. The gas grooves 21 are rectangular in cross-section and terminate short of the ends 17 to provide closed end portions 22. The grooves are closed along their outer walls and are completely open along the inner edges of the edge portions 20 throughout the entire length of the latter.

The surface of the burner unit 12 is depressed to form inclined sides 23 extending from each side edge portion 20 to form flame pockets along each side of a medial, llame-deflecting ridge 25, the top of which is depressed below the surface plane of the unit 12. The two inclined sides 23 are provided with llame dividers 26 which are molded from the material of the block in uniform spaced relation throughout the length of the inclined surfaces 23 and which act to divide the llame pockets 24 into a plurality of individual, separated, llame pockets throughout their lengths. The llame dividers increase in width as they approach the dellecting ridge 25 so as to exert a compressing effect on the llowing gas.

A medial gas conduit 27 is molded in the block of the burner unit 12 below and parallel to the dellecting ridge 25. When the burner units 12 are assembled in alignment in a furnace structure the gas is conducted from each unit to the next adjacent unit through the medium of a lire clay tubular nipple 28, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The ends of the conduit 27 in each unit are counterbored as indicated at 29 to receive the nipple 28.

A plurality of inclined parallel, flattened, gas passages 30 extend upwardly and outwardly from the conduit 27 terminating in individual nozzle orices 31 in the bottoms of the two gas grooves 21. An assembling ridge 32 is molded on two sides and one end of the burner unit.

The arch spacer unit 13 comprises a pre-molded block of fire-clay or other suitable refractory material corresponding in length to the burner unit 12 and having two inwardly inclined side walls 33 substantially equal in height to the height of the sides 18 of the burner unit 12 and which create a block of narrower transverse width at the bottom than at the top. Two similar, top flange portions 34 extend oppositely outward from, and along the upper edges of, the two side walls 33. Each flange portion 34 terminates in a downwardly extending edge lip 35 having an upwardly and inwardly inclined inner surface. The llange portions project outwardly from the inclined side walls 33 a distance slightly in excess of the width -of the side edge portions 20 on the burner unit 12. An aligning groove 36 surrounds the sides and ends of the spacer unit 13 to receive the ridge 32 of the burner unit 12.

The straight, side-wall-spacer unit 15 is similar in every respect to the spacer unit 13 except that the side walls are vertical and parallel. The unit 15 also has llange portions 37 provided with edge lips 38 corresponding, respectively, to the llange portions 34 and edge lips 35 of the unit 13, and with an aligning groove 39 similar to the aligning groove 36.

The terminal unit 14 is similar to the spacer unit 15 except that one of the llange portions 37 has been omitted leaving a single flange portion 40 provided with a gas deflecting lip 43. The latter unit is also provided with a peripheral aligning groove 41.

ICC

Let us assume it is desired to build an elongated arched furnace for a tunnel kiln. The elements 12, 13 and 14 are assembled as shown in FIG. 9 in an assembly of any desired length. The units can be retained in place by a conventional metal frame work to which the anchor bolts 16 are connected. The aligned gas conduits 27 connected together by the nipples 28 can be plugged at one extremity of the assembly and connected at their other extremities to a conventional fuel gas supply manifold.

For a square pit or mule furnace the units 12, 14 and 15 can be assembled, as shown in FIG. 10, to produce a furnace of any desired length or depth such as for enclosing a fire clay or mule chamber 42.

Any other desired shape or size of furnace can be quickly built by selected assemblies of the units.

The assembling ridges 32 and the aligning grooves 36, 39 and 41 accurately position, align and retain the units.

It is desired to call particular attention to the action of the burners in the assembled units, as shown in FIG. 11. The intermixed fuel gas and air or other oxidizing medium flows from the gas conduits 27 through the inclined gas passages 30 and discharges from the nozzle orifices 31 against the overhanging top flange portions 34, 37 and 40. The dellecting lips on the latter direct and spread the gas, smoothly downward over the entire surfaces of all of the inclined sides 23, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 11. The flat, flowing streams of gas are divided and compressed into closely spaced streams by the decreasing spaces between the flame dividers 26.

The closely spaced, rapidly moving streams of gas strike the opposite sides of the deliecting ridge 25 and swirl upwardly and outwardly to create a comparatively high combustion zone 44 between and in spaced relation to the side edge portions 20 throughout the entire assembled length of the abutted burner units.

While a specific form of the invention has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A gas fired wall for furnaces comprising: a plurality of refractory burner elements; a plurality of refractory spacer elements, said spacer elements being interspersed between said burner elements to maintain the latter in spaced relation; an integral burner face on each of said burner elements; a raised side edge portion extending along the two sides of the burner face; a gas groove indented in each raised side edge portion; a medially positioned deflecting ridge projecting from said burner face intermediate and parallel to said side edge portions, said gas grooves opening toward said deilecting ridge so as to direct gas toward the latter; and means for conducting fuel gas to said gas grooves.

2. A gas fired wall for furnaces as described in claim 1 in which said spacer elements are provided with flange portions projecting outwardly from the sides of the forward edges of said spacer elements and overlying the gas grooves ofthe adjacent burner elements to direct the gas from the latter toward said deflecting ridge.

3. A gas fired wall for furnaces as described in claim element inclines inwardly from each of said gas grooves to provide a depression on each side of said ridge.

4. A gas fired wall for furnaces as described in claim 3 having an edge lip formed along each flange portion and directed toward the adjacent inclined surface to direct the gas inwardly into said depression.

5. A gas fired wall for furnaces as described in claim 4 having ame dividers projecting from said inclined surfaces and projecting oppositely outward from said deflecting ridge to guide the gas flowing over said inclined surfaces substantially at right angles to said ridge.

6. A gas fired wall for furnaces as described in claim 5 in which the means for conducting fuel gas to said gas grooves comprises a plurality of individual gas passages molded into each burner element and opening to and along each gas groove; and means for supplying fuel gas to said gas passages.

7. A gas fired wall for furnaces as described in claim 6 in which the means for supplying fuel gas to said gas passages comprises a gas conduit molded in and extending longitudinally of said burner element behind said burner face, said gas passages individually communicating with said gas conduit.

8. A fired wall for furnaces as described in claim 7 in which the gas conduits of longitudinally-aligned burner elements align with each other to form a continuous gas conduit throughout the assembly of elements with refractory nipples connecting the conduits of adjacent burner elements.

9. A gas-fired burner element for furnaces comprising: a refractory block; an indented burner face on said block; a raised, medially positioned detlecting lridge on said indented face; a raised edge portion on opposite sides of said burner face; gas grooves indented in said edge portion; a flange overlying each of said gas grooves to direct gas from the latter toward opposite sides of said deecting ridge; passages for conducting fuel gas into said gas grooves; and an edge lip on said flange directed toward said indented burner face for directing gas into the indentation therein.

10. A gas-fired burner element as described in claim 9 having llame dividers projecting from and extending oppositely outward from said raised deflecting ridge to divide the ow of gas from gas grooves.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 971,11'7 9/10 Carver 158-104 1,259,215 3/18 Detrick 110-99 X 1,674,422 6/28 Allen 110-99 X 1,857,525 5/32 Beckett 15S-106 X 2,274,240 2/42 Ladd 110-99 2,287,246 6/42 Hess 158-7 2,464,333 3/49 McGlaughlin 158-104 X 2,489,459 11/49 Ness et al 263-2 X 3,141,426 7/64 Zachow 110-9 X FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A GAS FIRED WALL FOR FURNACES COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF REFRACTORY BURNER ELEMENTS; A PLURALITY OF REFRACTORY SPACER ELEMENTS, SAID SPACER ELEMENTS BEING INTERSPERSED BETWEEN SAID BURNER ELEMENTS TO MAINTAIN THE LATTER IN SPACED RELATION; AN INTEGRAL BURNER FACE ON EACH OF SAID BURNER ELEMENTS; A RAISED SIDE EDGE PORTION EXTENDING ALONG THE TWO SIDES OF THE BURNER FACE; A GAS GROOVE INDENTED IN EACH RAISED SIDE EDGE PORTION; A MEDIALLY POSITIONED DEFLECTING RIDGE PROJECTING FROM SAID BURNER FACE INTERMEDIATE AND PARALLEL TO SAID SIDE EDGE PORTIONS, SAID GAS GROOVES OPENING TOWARD SAID DEFLECTING RIDGE SO AS TO DIRECT GAS TOWARD THE LATTER; AND MEANS FOR CONDUCTING FUEL GAS TO SAID GAS GROOVES. 